1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of cooking and, more particularly, to a control system for a cooking appliance which enables the appliance to be selectively operated in a cold start cooking mode.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Conventional cooking appliances generally perform cooking operations through radiant heat developed from bake and/or broil heating elements. Such types of cooking appliances can take various forms, mainly ranges and wall ovens. When utilizing a conventional cooking appliance, the oven is initially controlled to proceed through a preheat cycle in order to establish a desired cooking temperature. Oftentimes, a signal is provided to a user when the preheat cycle is complete in order to indicate when the food to be cooked can be placed in the oven. In some cases, both the bake and the broil elements are actuated during the preheat cycle. In addition, it is also known to incorporate an internal fan in an oven for more evenly distributing developed heat. Convection systems are actually quite prevalent in microwave and other types of ovens which do not require preheating. However, utilizing convection systems in cooking appliances employing bake and broil elements is also known.
Regardless of the type of overall heating system utilized, it is not uncommon for a consumer to place food into an oven for a predetermined cook time without first enabling the oven to reach a preheat temperature. Since cooking times set forth in recipes or other cooking instructions are established based on an oven being preheated, failure to preheat the oven directly affects the overall food preparation. Under such circumstances, the user must either mentally determine a supplemental cooking time period for the food item or, if the cook time is not altered, the food will be at least slightly undercooked.
Based on the above, there exists a need in the art for a system which will enable a consumer to readily alter an established cooking operation when it is known that an oven is not going to be allowed to reach a preheat temperature prior to placing food in the oven. In other words, under conditions wherein a cold start cooking operation is to be performed, it would be beneficial to enable the consumer to easily alter a programmed cooking operation to automatically compensate for the lack of a preheat cycle.
The present invention is directed to a control system for a cooking appliance which enables a consumer to perform a complete cooking operation regardless of whether food is placed into an oven after a preheating operation or from a cold start. In general, the invention enables a consumer to program a cooking appliance through a control panel in a conventional manner based on established cooking times and temperatures in accordance with recipes or other cooking instructions. However, under circumstances wherein the consumer does not intend to allow the oven to be properly preheated prior to inserting the food to be cooked therein, an additional control sequence can be performed by the user, such as the selection of a cold start feature. Thereafter, the control system for the cooking appliance will automatically alter the overall cooking operation to compensate for the lack of a preheat stage.
In accordance with the most preferred form of the invention, an additional button is provided on a programming pad of the control panel for the cooking appliance, wherein the consumer need only press the additional button when a cold start cooking operation is to be employed. In one embodiment, when a cold start cooking operation is selected, the control system of the cooking appliance establishes a peak temperature for the oven which is well above a temperature set by the user for the overall cooking operation. After the peak temperature is reached, the oven temperature is allowed to gradually reduce, with a lattermost portion of the established cooking time actually operating the oven at the preprogrammed cooking temperature.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the present nvention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.